Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, a polarizing move that prompted China to announce an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan.
Approved two years ago by the Japanese government and greenlighted by the U. nuclear watchdog last month, the discharge is a key step in a dauntingly long and difficult process of decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi plant, including the removal of molten fuel after it was destroyed by a tsunami.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said the release began at 1:03 p.m. local time and it
